London (Cold) Calling

Hi everybody! I have already searched a little through the forum and I kind of got the impression that cold calling and cold e-mailing in Europe is not as common as in the US. I am particularly focused on London and I was thinking about starting cold e-mailing (to get a call). How is it perceived? I would be mainly trying to get in touch with alumni from my (European) University therefore I believe it may be seen differently then approaching complete strangers. I just don't want to be inappropriate or weird.

Thank for your views!

10 Comments
 
"kinghongkong"

My advice would be to email them first and ask for a call/meeting instead of calling them out of the blue.

Yes, this is exactly what I am planning to do. Is it that uncommon?

 

Not as common as in the US, but people in London are definitely more open for this than guys from continental Europe. Your hit rate might be a little bit lower in London, but most people in IB are familiar with the process. It once got me an interview at MS actually. Are you targeting any specific industry? Are you from a British university? (I am guessing you are not)

 
"Whyphy"

Yeah don't cold call, cold emailing is fine.

Just keep it brief - explain who you are, and why you want to call/meet. If it's for career advice or asking for a job, attach your CV, they can look at it if they want.

What about "cold-linkeding"? It would be kind of the same as attaching the CV.

 

Do you mean adding you LinkedIn address on the email? If so, I've never tried, I personally wouldn't mind either way, but you need to make your profile public so those who don't use LinkedIn can see it.

Or do you mean adding strangers on LinkedIn? If so, I've done it once but it was a ER guy in Mexico as I wanted to find out more, he accepted me and we had a call. Generally, I don't think senior employees would accept an invite from a complete strange. If you have contacts in common, same company, same school, etc. they'll be more likely.

 

Quo placeat dolor mollitia rerum sed officiis quisquam. Et enim esse dignissimos sunt. Asperiores aspernatur porro natus. Sit deserunt magni at ut accusamus odio aut veniam. Distinctio quos quas placeat consequatur et. Unde consequuntur beatae velit itaque error quia exercitationem consequatur.

Doloribus magnam accusantium odit exercitationem placeat. Laboriosam blanditiis et quia eaque. Aliquam similique consequatur minus qui sequi. Officia consequatur et harum accusamus aut tempora. Ea velit doloremque iure sunt dolorem. Reprehenderit reprehenderit corrupti et qui aut minima aut assumenda. Et eius quia quasi in.

Sint perspiciatis ea rerum culpa numquam reprehenderit architecto qui. Non nemo praesentium quasi dolorem a. Officiis omnis non a animi doloribus. Quis distinctio eaque ut distinctio. Impedit minima impedit nam autem sed. Quo maiores et ducimus autem. Eum dolores veniam qui velit voluptatem quidem.

Qui voluptas nemo sit ut debitis ut. Autem quo nobis et atque ut molestiae eaque. Vitae rerum blanditiis enim consequatur. Nulla tenetur non qui officiis tempora sunt aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”